Hope Floats
by junebugjazzy
Summary: Bella Swan is a stay at home mom and girlfriend to football's hottest quarterback, Jacob Black. They have been together for 10 yrs and have a beautiful daughter. Everything was perfect, until he left her on national tv for her best friend. Read as Bella goes back to her small town roots, mends fences with those she wronged, and maybe… just maybe… finds the love of her life.
1. Look What You've Done- Jet

"Guests, please welcome NFL football star Jacob Black and his girlfriend, Isabella Swan, to the Vicki Laurent show on this wonderful Monday morning."

The applause from the crowd is deafening, and it takes everything in me to continue walking toward the sofa in the middle of the stage. I don't like the politics of live television. Every question or piece of gossip is exaggerated and played upon to make the most impact and raise ratings. Typically I leave anything having to do with the media to Jacob because despite my relationship with the world's highest paid quarterback, I hate being in the spotlight. The only reason I'm here now is because he begged me—something about needing to make an announcement.

"So Isabella—"

"Bella, _please_. Only my parents still call me Isabella," I interrupt the fiery red head.

Vicki nods. "So, Bella, you and Jacob were high school sweethearts, right?"

I'm puzzled with her questioning but decide to indulge her for Jacob. "Yes. We met in high school during our junior year."

"How long have you two been together?"

I smile and look over at Jacob and our intertwined hands. "We'll have been together for eleven years tomorrow."

"Isn't that sweet, everyone? How great is _that_?" Vicki says to the crowd, and once again they erupt in applause. I look at the faces around me and can't help but feel a heavy sense of apprehension building the more I sit here. "You guys have a child together, right?" Why is she only addressing me? I thought this was an interview for the_ two_ of us. I turn toward Jacob, silently communicating that I want him to jump in.

"Yes. We have a seven year old named Isobel," I respond when Jacob does nothing but smile nervously at me.

"I think I speak for everyone here when I ask: why aren't you and Jacob married?"

I bristle a bit at her question, and the answer comes out colder than I would have liked. "With all due respect, that is something between the two of us."

"Well, Bella, Jacob has something he would like to share with you." Her thin smile turns cold and calculating. What could he possibly have to tell me in front of millions of people?

"Bella, you know I love you…but I'm not _in_ love with you." I can feel the blood drain from my face as I snatch my hand away from his.

"Jake? I don't understand. What are you saying?" The hot white lights are trained on me, and I feel as if I'm suffocating in my skin. The dress I'm wearing feels as if it's made of the scratchiest material possible. I think I'm going to pass out.

"Bella, it looks like Jacob is breaking up with you." The red-headed tramp adds, putting her two cents in.

I can't process everything that's happening right now. _Breathe, Bella_. _Stand up and leave. Put on the mask and walk away. Don't let these vultures see you break down. _

As gracefully as I can, I get up off the sofa and struggle to put my façade back into place. I know a smile is impossible at this point, so I just try not to grimace. I have to get out of here. _Alice_. I need my best friend right now. Thankfully I see her beckoning me over toward the side exit.

"Bella, wait!" Jacob calls, and the sound of his voice stops me in my tracks. "There's more."

I stand with my back to him, facing the side exit. A part of me still hopes this is all just a joke. He'll wrap his arms around me, tell me he loves me, and apologize for being so tasteless and cruel. The other part of me knows that this isn't a joke. Jacob is humiliating me on TV in front of millions of people and now he's telling me that there's more. I cannot deal with _more_. More will destroy me.

With a deep breath he says, "I cheated on you with Leah and she's… she's pregnant."

"You cheated on me with one of my best friends?" I say in disbelief, sounding much calmer than I feel. The three of us were like sisters; Leah, Alice, and I had been best friends for just about all of our lives.

"I'm sorry, Bells. I never meant to hurt you."

I can't take any more. It's all too much. The audience is yelling and screaming. Vicki Laurent is sneering at me. And all I want is to go back home, hold my child, and hide. I tear the microphone clip off my dress and throw the tiny device on the sofa, just missing Jacob's head. A second later I'm running from the studio and into the arms of Alice as she half carries me out the door and into the parking lot.

/HF/

"Bells, I'm really sorry, but the video of you and Jacob has gone viral and the press is demanding a statement from you. We have to tell them something if you ever want to have some peace and quiet," Alice tells me while I'm packing up everything that belongs to me and Isobel.

It's only been a day—one day since my entire life exploded in front of millions of people.

"What are they saying about me?" I ask out of morbid curiosity.

"The 'Ice Queen' seems to be the general consensus. They were expecting you to scream and yell, and when you didn't give them that they decided to make it seem like everything was your fault. Jacob came out looking like a fucking saint. " Disgust and hatred are clear in her voice.

I was never the media's golden child, but I wouldn't have expected them to kick me while I was down.

"Can't I just mourn the loss of my best friend and lover without those parasites intruding? The tears on my face haven't even dried yet. I mean, what do they want from me? Do they want to hear how fucking heartbroken I am that the man I thought was the love of my life cheated on me with my fucking best friend? Or do they want to hear about how heartbroken my daughter will be when she finds out her daddy left her mommy on national fucking television for her Aunt Le-Le? Oh God, there's no way for me to hide this from her!" And that realization scares me the most. If I don't tell her, though, someone else will.

"Easy on the language and yelling, Bella. You don't want to wake up Izzy."

I look over at my sleeping daughter on the couch and give Alice a curt nod.

"Okay, so let's talk about your plan. What are you going to do now that you know Jacob is a cheating asshole?"

Leave it to Alice not to mince words when I just got my heart ripped out.

"God, Allie, I just don't know what to do anymore! I spent my entire life loving Jake. I don't know how to live without him. All I know is that I need to leave this house and possibly burn every single piece of clothing the bastard owns."

"Alright, I can work with that. First, you will not burn his clothes. I don't want to bail you out of jail for pulling a 'Left-Eye'. You can, however, pour bleach all over them. Second, I'm going to tell the press that you're going on sabbatical in Europe to reevaluate your life and fix your broken heart. Third, you're actually going to take Izzy and go back to the quiet little town of Forks and stay with your dad. I'll join you there in a week, after I tie up all the loose ends here." She looks at me expectantly. "Think about it. The paparazzi would never expect you to go back to the place where you and Jacob met. It's foolproof. "

_Forks._ I haven't been back to my hometown in almost eight years. Maybe going home _is_ the answer. Let's face facts here: my life can't get any worse.

"How soon can you book a flight out for us?"

I already booked you and Izzy a flight for Friday at noon, and I arranged a moving company to come for your things by three tomorrow. Everything should arrive in Forks by Saturday. I also took the liberty of having the bigger items kept in a small storage facility in Port Angeles, and I'll try to have a real estate agent ready to show you some houses maybe by Sunday. "

"Thank you, Allie. You are an absolute godsend." Not only will she get the media off my back, but she also managed to set everything up so I'd be settled in Forks in just a week. All I have to do is call my father to let him know we're coming. It would be the first of many fun conversations to come.


	2. Keep Breathing- Ingrid Michaelson

I don't know how long I've been sitting on the floor of the living room, but Alice was gone, so I knew it must have been at least an hour. I just keep wondering what went wrong. What did I do to push him away? I was a stay at home mom, so it couldn't be time. Even when he had away games, we always found a way to be with each other, be it by Skype or brief visits when possible. I just don't understand. I gave up everything for him. He didn't want me to put my degree to use by teaching because it would have taken me away from him and Izzy. I reluctantly agreed, because I just wanted him to be happy.

"Mommy, where's Daddy?" Isobel asks me.

I look into the sweet face of my baby and can't help the tears that start to fall. I don't know where her daddy is. I don't know how to tell her that her daddy and her Auntie Le-Le are moving in together and having a baby. I reach for her and she automatically crawls into my lap. I hug her to me and can't help thinking about all the ways my little girl is just like her dad. Her black hair and tanned skin both hint to her father's Native American heritage. Jacob and I would joke that she looked like him but acted just like me. She was quite the bookworm, a little shy around new people, but even at her young age, she was learning the great art of sarcasm and snark.

"Mommy?" Isobel's need for an answer breaks me out of my reverie.

"Izzy, Mommy and Daddy are…we're having problems, honey. You and I are going to go stay with Grandpa for a little while." I wipe the tears from my face and pull back so that I'm looking at her tiny face.

"But _why_?" My heart breaks at her bewilderment. I know she loves me, but she will always be Daddy's princess, and no matter how much I hate Jacob, I could never turn our child against him. I can't tell her the truth. It would just break her heart.

_An hour earlier _

_I dialed Jacob's number and waited for him to pick up. _

"_Jacob, I'm going to Forks and I'm taking Izzy with me," I said as soon as he answered the phone. "We can set up visitation once a month, on weekends, and every other holiday. I'm being generous despite all the shit you've put me through, but if you try to take me to court I will make sure I get full custody." _

"_Bells—"_

"_No," I interrupted, with as much venom in my voice as possible. "You don't get to call me that anymore. Isabella is fine, Jacob." _

"_Fine, Isabella, Leah and I are moving in together, and we need to get used to being a couple and living together before I have Izzy spend any time with us." _

"_Are you saying you don't want to see our child?" I ask furiously. "She worships you. You cannot abandon her. Isobel needs her father." _

"_I'm not abandoning her, I just need—" _

"_That's not how having a child works. Your needs don't matter. You will not destroy my child. I won't let you. If you can't handle being a father to Isobel now, then don't try at all." _

_Present time_

"Baby, Daddy loves you very much, and he'll call and come see you as often as he can."

"Why isn't Daddy coming with us?" Isobel asks, probably noticing that I never fully answered her question.

"Sometimes adults who have been together as long as we have fall out of love and can't be together anymore, so they split up. Daddy is going to stay here when we leave."

"Are we ever coming back?"

I don't answer her question. Instead, I hug her to me. By some miracle, or maybe it's just intuition, she doesn't ask again. I'm glad because right now the answer, just like our future, is unknown.


	3. Anybody's Heart- Katherine McPhee

I never thought I'd ever come back to the sleepy little town of Forks, Washington. When Jacob and I left, it was with the intention of never _ever _coming back. We hated everything about this small town even though we thrived in it. We were the perfect couple. The head cheerleader and the quarterback, Prom Queen and Prom King; we were the very definition of high school's most popular clichés. Don't get me wrong, these titles weren't all we were but they were what people paid attention to. I didn't really care about what the townspeople thought though. All I wanted was for my mother to be proud of me. I wanted her to come back and love me and my dad again. It was an incredibly naïve and irrational notion but by the time I figured that out, I was already stuck in that perfect caste. She never looked back and neither did I, until today.

Damn it. I'm so distracted that I miss the cop car behind me. A flash of blue lights and the sound of the Forks police siren force me out of my musing as I pull over. I look over my shoulder at Izzy and sigh in envy; at least she can get some sleep. We're late enough that it will be almost three in the morning by the time we get to my Dad's. I reach into the glove compartment and pull out the registration.

Oh crap. The officer pulling me over is Jessica Stanley. Great, just great; of all the police officers in Forks I had to get the one that hated me the most in high school. She gestures for me to roll the tinted window down; once I do I see a flash of recognition and hatred flit across her face. Yep, this is so not going to go well.

"Well, well, well. Look at what the cat dragged in. Isabella Swan," she says haughtily.

I take a moment to breathe. "Hey Jessica, How are you?"

"Much better than you apparently, Ms. High-and-mighty. We _all_ saw your interview on the Vicki Laurent show. That must have been so humiliating for you," she sneers with an evil smirk.

_I will not assault a police officer. I will not assault a police officer._ I chant to myself over and over. "Was there a reason you pulled me over Jessica?" I ask as politely as I can manage.

"It's Officer Stanley," she replies coldly. Damn, she really can hold a grudge. "You were speeding and you swerved back on Main Street. I need you to get out the car and take a breathalyzer."

"Mommy? What's wrong?" Isobel asks sleepily from the back seat.

"It's nothing. I'm just going to talk to a friend for a second. Okay baby?" I turn around and tell her as I unbuckle my seat belt. "Go back to sleep, I'll be back soon."

"Can I come with you?"

"No Isobel. I need you to stay in the car," I say as I get out of the car and face Jessica.

"Wow Bella, you look like crap." Jessica says almost happily as she motions for me to follow her to the back of the car. I fight to keep the venom out of my voice as I set to work on diffusing her little show of authority. I can't afford to get arrested for hitting a cop; Charlie would never let me hear the end of it. I glance back at the car and see Isobel's face pressed against the glass. Great. She just had to inherit my stubbornness.

"I know that we weren't friends in high school and I know that this is a power play. You want to put me in my place and that's fine, but I will not allow you to do so in front of my daughter. I'm sorry that my friends weren't very nice to you in high school and I'm sorry that I did nothing to stop their taunting, but high school was ten years ago. I've grown up and I would hope that you have too. I'm begging you to just let me get to my father's house in peace. I am clearly not under the influence of anything. I have my daughter in the car and I would never jeopardize her safety like that. Please Jessica, let me go home."

When it looks like my pleas are falling on deaf ears I switch tactics. After all, my Dad's temper is legendary.

"You know, if I have to call Charlie, he'll be furious with the two of us. I don't know about you but I really can't deal with one of his angry lectures right now. "

"You know what? You always thought that you were so much better than all of us in town but in the end, we're happy and you were just dumped on TV. You're the one beneath _us_. You're free to go."

She turned around and headed back to her patrol car, leaving me infuriated. What gave her the right to judge me? I never thought that I was above Forks or the people in it. I just wanted more for myself and my family.

I get into the car and drive the short distance to my childhood home. My dad has left a light on and the key is in its usual hiding place so I don't wake him. After an exhausting day, I'm finally able to put my daughter to bed with a kiss and an I love you. As I unpack my suitcase, I start to meditate a little on what happened tonight with Jessica. Her behavior was uncalled for. I wasn't a mean girl in high school. Yes, I was popular, but I never bullied anyone. _You witnessed the bullying and never once said a word. Does_ _Edward Cullen ring a bell?_ The niggling voice of my subconscious questions me.

_Irrelevant._ I think back stubbornly. What happened in high school shouldn't matter anymore. It was ten years ago. My days of being Prom Queen and Jacob Black's girlfriend are over.

Oddly enough, I don't remember a time where I wasn't Jacob's girlfriend. It sounds pathetic, I know, but I've never had to be anything else. Just being with Jacob opened up so many doors and opportunities that I didn't have to do anything but be his girl. I don't really know who I am. I can't just be Isobel's mother and Jacob's ex. I have to figure out what to do with my life now. I need to find myself again. I need to figure out how to just be Bella Swan.

I can't help but wish I had all of the answers. I wish I could tell Isobel that everything would be all right and mean it. I wish that I could just go back to the way things were; to when we were a family. I guess it's true what people say about ignorance being bliss. If Jacob had never told me, I know without a doubt, I would still be with him. It sounds silly but I love him; even now, I still love him. Things were never perfect but I knew that no matter what, he would always be there for me and our daughter.

At the bottom of my suitcase I find one of Jacob's old football jerseys from college. I clutch the blue fabric in my hand and bring it to my nose, wishing that it still had his scent on it.

_We had been together for five years, Isobel was two, and I was about to graduate from UCLA with an English degree. Jacob had just been drafted to the 49ers and he had to leave for a month and a half of training camp. We had never been apart for that long before and were both feeling a bit of separation anxiety. An hour before he had to leave, we were still in bed, neither one of us ready to say goodbye. Jacob's arms were locked around my waist and my head was on his chest. _

"_Bells . . ." _

"_Jake," I responded. _

"_I got you something," I started to sit up when he pulled me on top of him and sat us both up. "It's in the bathroom. Go get it. When you come back, I'll be gone. I love you, Bells." _

_I leaned over and kissed him, understanding his unwillingness to say goodbye. Good byes were something that neither one of us were ever really comfortable with. _

"_I love you too, Jake. Be safe." _

_The farther I walked away from him, the harder it was to keep the tears at bay. The soft click of the door alerted me to his departure. I wiped the tears from my eyes and found the plain white box Jake left to distract me. I immediately recognized the light blue UCLA football jersey with Black in bold lettering on the back sitting beneath a folded up piece of paper with my name on the front._

_**Bells, **_

_**I know the separation will be hard on you, but I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I know that you and Izzy will be absolutely fine; you're the best mother I know. You're my rock and just knowing that you are following your dream and supporting mine makes me love you a thousand times more. I left you my jersey because I remember how much you love wearing it. Plus it's really sexy to imagine you just sleeping in my jersey. Could you take pics for me? Just kidding babe (sort of). Anyway, I love you and I'm counting down the days until I can see your face again. **_

_**Love,**_

_**Jacob**_

Jacob wasn't always a douchebag. He used to be so sweet to me. He used to love me. At least, it seemed like he did. I can't imagine what would make him hurt me like this. It feels as if my heart has been torn from my chest. I don't know how to move on from this. I don't know how to keep going. I finally fall into a dreamless sleep clutching the well-worn jersey in my hand.

**Thank you so much for your response to this story. Shout Out to Aurowanfinn for being this story's first reviewer. Review, please! **

**Thanks to Astro2009 for being a truly awesome Beta and putting up with my abundance of periods and commas. **


	4. Just Like a Pill- Pink

"Isabella Marie Swan. Get up out of this bed, right now." The sound of my name being called combined with the sudden burst of sunlight makes me growl in frustration.

"Go away Dad." I mumble into the pillows.

"You asked for it. . ." he says as he stomps away.

I cover my head with the blanket in an attempt to go back to sleep. Seconds later, the blanket is pulled off me and I am assaulted with ice cold water. I jump out of my now soaked bed.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I yell angrily.

"Watch your mouth Isabella, or I'll wash it out with soap. It's been three days and you've barely left this room. How many times have you seen Izzy since you've been here?"

"I don't know, Dad. It's so hard to get up and act like everything is okay." I throw my arms around a very uncomfortable Charlie as he awkwardly pats my back.

"Get yourself together, Bella. Pretend if you have to. You have a daughter that needs her mother. I know it seems hard right now, but you have to work through it. You cannot let that bastard win. I know I raised a strong girl. Now prove it to the world. Go shower and join us for breakfast."

I nod my head in silent agreement and step out of the comfort of my dad's arms to take a shower.

The hot stream of water from the shower does wonders for my body. I can feel the tension leaving my body and a renewed sense of vigor and clarity taking its place. My dad is right. I can't afford to fall apart; my baby needs me. I will not let Jacob Black keep my spirits down. I have too many things to do and no more time to be depressed. I go over everything that needs to be done today. I missed the appointment with the real estate agent Alice set up for me, so I need to call and reschedule. I need to get Izzy registered for school. I also need to call Alice. I can do this. I can live without Jacob and move on. It will take some time but I know that my heart will heal.

With my resolve strengthened I get out of the shower and realize that I did not grab a towel. _Good job Bella_. I crack the door open and yell.

"Dad!"

Hearing no response, I decide that my best option is to run down the hallway, past the steps leading to the kitchen, and into my room. As soon as I step out of the bathroom, I realize that the floors and my wet bare feet are not going to mix well, so I start to speed walk. Just as I come to the stairs, I see a mop of unruly bronze hair coming up the stairs, so I do what any other girl would do when there's a strange man coming toward her- I scream and try to run. My efforts are proven futile when I land on my ass with a loud thud.

"Isa?"

"Shit!" I mutter as the realization of who this _stranger _is hits me full force. I close my eyes, hoping that this is just a delusion; a sign that my fall has probably given me a concussion and I'm imagining things.

"Isa?" the voice repeats with a hint of amusement mingled in with concern. "Are you okay?"

Damn it. It really is him; no one else would dare call me that. I slowly open my eyes and see him leaning over me.

"Hello, Edward." I look into his eyes and get lost in them; all of a sudden I'm reminded of simpler times. A time where I lived to get lost in those stunningly bright green eyes; a time before me and Jacob ever existed.

"Isa?"

His voice breaks my reverie and I am suddenly very aware of the fact that I am completely naked with Edward staring down at me. When redness tints his cheeks, I'm almost positive that he has reached the same conclusion. He closes his eyes and offers me a hand with a sheepish grin. I take it and once I am securely on my feet, I hurry into my room and slam the door.

_Fuck. Today is going to be interesting. _

**Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it enough to leave me a review!**

**Thanks to Astro2009 for making this chapter pretty! **


	5. Hope for the Hopeless- A Fine Frenzy

I cannot believe that just happened! I literally ran into Edward Cullen for the first time in over ten years... while naked! It was such an awesome way to become reacquainted. I rolled my eyes at my internal sarcasm.

I finally get over my embarrassment and dress simply in a Halestorm band T-shirt, a pair of jeans and my favorite pair of chucks.

If Jacob could see me now, he would throw a fit, I think happily. I don't ever have to wear a pair of heels again. I don't ever have to wear a dress and heels just to go to the grocery store. I don't have to put on makeup every time I want to walk down the street. I don't ever have to be "photo ready" again, and it feels good. For the first time in years, I can wear whatever I want. It's exhilarating.

"Isa, your dad wanted me to come up and tell you that breakfast is getting cold." Edward knocks on the door and I immediately throw it open.

"Hi," I say lamely.

He smirks. "Hello again. It's nice to see that you actually own clothes."

The blush on my cheeks only serves to embarrass me more. "You're such an asshole, Cullen."

"And you're kind of a bitch," he responds.

I point to the slogan on my shirt and sing, "I love it when you call me a bitch like it's a bad thing."

"Really? You're going to sing your comeback? That was bad, Isa."

Just like that, we've slipped back into our old friendship; friendly banter and name calling. We're both smiling and laughing until something changes between us. The air around us becomes thick and charged with tension. Everything that I had tamped down ten years ago comes flooding back. My eyes drop to his lips and I imagine how good they'll feel against mine. I imagine how his arms would wrap around me as he kisses me senseless. For a second, it seems as if we're on the same page but then his eyes harden and he's no longer smiling when he tells me that we should head downstairs.

I walk over to the stairs but stop and face him before going down.

"Don't call me Isa. I go by Bella now." I say coldly.

"You'll always be Isa to me. Bella isn't the girl I know." He says just as coolly as he starts down the steps behind me.

"Morning Bells, I'm glad that you're feeling better," Charlie says with a pointed glance at Izzy when I walk into the kitchen.

They're both sitting at the table eating plates with bacon, eggs and toast on them.

"Morning Dad," I say and walk over to my baby. "Hey Izzy."

She looks up at me but says nothing. At that moment, it dawns on me just how selfish I was being. I _ignored_ my child for 3 days. I ignored my responsibilities for 3 fucking days. My child was hurting because of me. I was no better than Jacob. My eyes fill with tears and I know I have to make this right.

I get down on my knees so that I'm eye level with her and I apologize.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you, Izzy. Mommy wasn't feeling very well. Can you ever forgive me? Please? With whipped cream and a great big red cherry on top?"

She smiles and jumps into my arms. "I missed you, Momma."

"I missed you too, baby."

I break apart from our hug when my dad clears his throat. I had forgotten that Izzy and I weren't alone.

"Well Edward, you can sit right here next to me and Bella will sit across from you next to Isobel. Let's finish eating, people."

I take my seat next to Izzy and grab some food.

"What are your plans for today Bells?" Dad asks

"I have to register Izzy for school and I need to make another appointment with the realtor," I answer after I finish chewing.

"As far as registering Izzy goes, I've already taken care of that." He shrugs at my look of incredulity. "I called in a favor with Ms. Cope. Her first day is tomorrow. You just have to fill out some paperwork at the school."

"Thanks." I can't be mad at Charlie for intervening on my behalf with Izzy, especially since I checked out for a few days. "I'll drop by the school today and fill out those forms."

"You're welcome Bells. Speaking of school, Edward is the principal over at the high school and they have an opening for a freshman English teacher. Isn't that right Edward?"

"Ummm… Yes," Edward chokes out. "Mrs. Banner just retired and we haven't really had a chance to replace her yet."

I can't stop myself from glaring at my father for his meddling.

"Don't look at me like that, Isabella Marie Swan. You need a job and here is one that you would love."

"Izzy, are you finished eating?" I turn my attention away from Charlie and onto my nosey little girl who is watching everything intently.

"Yes," she responds.

"Go watch some TV in the living room then."

"I don't want to watch TV."

"Isobel Black, go into the living room now. Don't make me tell you again." I warn her in my serious mom voice.

"Whatever," she says and walks away with a huff. One minute, she's a sweet little seven year old who just loves her mommy, and the next I see a glimpse of the rebellious teenager that will most definitely be part of my future.

"I don't need you to find me a job, Dad. I'm a grown woman. If I wanted a job, I would find one myself," I hiss angrily. "I am not a fucking charity case."

Before Charlie can respond, Edward jumps to his defense.

"Isa, don't blame Charlie. It's my fault. I asked Charlie if you would be interested in taking the position because I knew that your dream was to be a teacher and he told me that you were certified in Los Angeles," Edward explains. "I'm sorry if people trying to help you out makes you feel like a charity case. Charlie, I'll see you later. Isa, I apologize for overstepping my boundaries." Even after all these years, I can tell that Edward is angry as he walks away from the table and toward the front door.

"Edward! Edward, wait!" I get up from the table and catch him right before he walks out of the door.

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk. You were just trying to help and I truly do appreciate it. I would love to work at the school with you if the offer is still open."

"The school would be honored to have you, Isa. Come by tomorrow after you drop off Izzy and we'll get you set up. Bring your degree and certification from L.A. and I'll help you put in the application to become certified here. If all goes well, you should be in the classroom by next Monday," Edward tells me with his signature crooked grin.

I'm going to be a teacher. I finally get to follow my dreams and teach children about the things that I love.

**Please Review!**

**Thanks to my amazing beta Astro2009 for going back and editing this chapter. She rules the grammar world. **


	6. Broken Wings- Flyleaf

**SONG: BROKEN WINGS- FLYLEAF **

_I was only a freshman in high school when my mother left. I was supposed to be in school, but I skipped that day. I had a test in biology that I hadn't studied for and just decided that it was better for me to go home early instead of failing that test. Maybe if I had stayed in school like I was supposed to, my mother would have never left. Or, maybe she would have gone anyway. _

"_Mom? Mom, what are you doing?" I said when I walked into my parents' bedroom and saw her frantically throwing things into a suitcase. "Why are you packing?" _

_She turned to me and I saw nothing but panic and regret in her eyes. _

"_I'm so sorry Isabella. You weren't supposed to be here." She shook her head and spoke hurriedly, like she wanted to end the conversation quickly. "No one was supposed to be here." _

_I looked at her, unable to comprehend what exactly was going on. _

_She zipped the suitcase closed and tried to force her way past me. I snapped out of my trance and grabbed the strap and pulled it from her shoulders. _

"_What are you talking about? Where are you going?" She just kept shaking her head. _

"_I can't Isabella. I can't stay here anymore. I wasn't meant to be a mother. I never wanted to be a mother. Damn it Isabella!" _

_She was screaming at me while tears fell down her face. My mother was yelling at me; she'd never yelled at me before, but even worse were the awful things she said. _

"_Just let me go Isabella," She said softly as she pulled the suitcase out of my hand and walked away from me. _

_I followed behind her, watching as her yellow sundress swished as she walked, listening as her heels click-clacked against the hardwood floor._

"_Please Mommy," I pleaded with her as she grasped the doorknob to the front door. "Don't leave me." _

"_I'm sorry." She whispered before turning the knob and running outside to her car. _

_I ran after her but stopped at the bottom of the steps when she revved the engine and drove away. _

"_Mommy." I whimpered as I sat on the step knowing she couldn't hear me, yet somehow wishing that she would. _

"_Isa?" I looked up and into the eyes of Edward Cullen, our next door neighbor and my best friend. "You've been out here for hours. Are you okay?"_

"_I haven't been out here for hours. I'm just waiting for my mom to come back. She's coming back- I know she is. I'm going to sit out here and wait for her to come back because she will. She has to. "_

"_Isa, it's been hours. After I got out of school, I sat on my porch for two hours waiting for you to go inside, but you just sat there looking like someone killed your puppy." He was worried about me. I could tell by the way he was gripping my hand, and the way his eyebrows were furrowed with confusion. _

"_What time is it Cullen?" _

_He took a moment to look at his watch, and sighed. "Isa, it's after 6:00 o'clock." _

_No. That can't be right. "You're lying." _

"_I'm not," He replied to my accusation. _

"_No! You are. You have to be. You're lying to me!" I was crying now because deep down inside of me, I knew he wasn't lying. Edward sat down beside me and held me until the tears subsided. His hands were in my hair and he was gently running his fingers through it. _

"_I'll never leave you, Isa. I promise." His voice was so sincere that I couldn't help but believe him. _

"Isa, are you alright? I'm sorry if I crossed the line by asking about your mother."

The sound of Edward's voice snaps me out of the painful memory and back into reality. It's Friday and we're sitting in his office for my contract signing. I was more than ready to sign it but after I did, Edward asked about my mother and I just lost myself in the memory of that day.

"No it's fine. It just brought up some memories that I haven't thought about in a long time. I haven't seen my mother in about 8 years. I tracked her down to Arizona when I found out that I was pregnant with Izzy. She wanted nothing to do with me or her grandchild."

Edward reaches over, almost as if he wanted to hold my hand in support, but in the end, he pulls it back and shuffles the stack of papers in his desk instead.

"Do you remember that day? The day she left, I mean." I need him to remember that we used to be best friends.

He clears his throat and, instead of answering my question, deflects. "So you will report here Monday morning for your first class at 8:00"

"Edward," I plead. "Do you remember?"

He gets up from behind his desk and moves in front of me. "I remember that day. I remember being worried sick about you sitting outside all alone and crying your eyes out. I remember promising never to leave you. I kept my promise, Isa. I never left you."

"Edward, I…"

"No. You left _me_,Isa. You left me for Jacob fucking Black. " He reaches into his pants pocket and throws down a pair of keys on the desk. "Here are the keys to your classroom."

"Edward." I try again but he's already walked out of the office.

He's right. Edward told the truth when he said he would never leave me. I did all of the leaving. I left him for Jacob. I had my reasons but in retrospect, those reasons were bullshit. I was just a stupid and weak little girl that let her boyfriend control her life. _Never again. _I promise myself. _I will not let my life be dictated by anyone else ever again. I am going to fix this_.

**Thanks to my new Beta Astro2009! She's a rock star! **

**I know it's short but at least you guys finally got some answers. I'm so sorry I'm late with this chapter. I have no excuse other than the fact that McDreamy has distracted me. I just got into Grey's Anatomy and have been trying to catch up on all twelve seasons… I'm at the beginning of season three. Anyway I'm sorry for the delay and I will try my best not to let it happen again. Review! **

**PS. Does anyone else watch Grey's Anatomy because I am dying to talk about it. **


	7. Uninvited- Alanis Morissette

**Edward POV **

As I start the long walk back to my house, I think about what just happened in my office.

_Storming out of my meeting with Isa was the right thing to do. We were both starting to get a little emotional and I cannot allow myself to become attached. I can't let myself get emotionally attached to Isabella Swan again. I barely lived through the first time. I need to keep my distance. _

I just couldn't control the surge of emotion that hit me when I remembered the day Isa's mother left. I meant every word when I declared that I would never leave her. I loved her but she couldn't love me. She loved Jacob.

_Stop it, Edward. You can't keep reliving the past. You can't change something that happened over 10 years ago._

I wish I could though. I wish I knew why, all those years ago, she chose Jacob over me. I thought that all of the feelings that I had harbored for her back in high school had been resolved, but seeing her again made them all bubble up to the surface.

I had loved Isa. I had loved the girl that was my best friend, the girl that signed up for every committee and club activity to prove something to her mother. The girl that loved every kind of chocolate imaginable and would make herself sick eating it once a year on Halloween. The girl who wore her mother's wedding band around her neck and cried every night in my arms for a month and a half after her mom left.

But that girl doesn't exist anymore. In her place is a woman who has hardened herself against the world; a woman who can't accept generosity for what it really is; a woman who has been hurt so deeply by the people she loved the most, that trust is impossible.

Isa doesn't exist anymore. In her place is Bella. Bella is a woman that I don't know at all; a woman that I am going to try my damndest not to know, for the good of my heart.

_Apart from being her boss, I am not going to get involved in this woman's life and she is not going to get involved with mine._

/HF/

I'm cooking my dinner in the microwave when the phone rings.

"Hey Ed." I can barely hear the person on the other end of the line but I surmise by the nickname that it's my brother-in-law

"Emmett? Are you calling me from the bar?"

Emmett went to high school with Isa and me . I hardly knew him then, probably because he was a football jock and I was just an English nerd. We never even had one conversation until he started dating my older sister, Rosalie and then he became my best friend. Rosalie and Emmett married a couple of years ago and opened up the only bar within a 15 mile radius of Forks.

"Who else would be calling your boring ass? Anyway, I think you should get to the bar pronto."

"Why am I spending my Friday night at your bar?" I ask, as I pulled my mystery meat frozen dinner out of the microwave.

"Your girl is drunk and you may want to come get her before she gets arrested."

My hands start to shake and the disgusting microwave dinner that I'm holding falls to the floor because I know exactly who he is referring to.

"My girl?" I try, but fail, to keep my voice steady. "What are you talking about, Em?"

"Oh yeah. She's definitely your girl, Ed." I could hear the smirk in his voice, even over the phone. "Isabella Swan is in my bar and so are Jessica Stanley and Tanya Denali. Did I mention that Bella is drunk and Jessica and Tanya are goading her? Man, if this is anything like high school somebody is going down and going down hard. You remember the Bella vs. Tanya and Jessica feud. It was legendary. So. . . are you coming or should I call the Chief to come get his drunken daughter?"

Tanya, Jessica and Bella in the same room sober was bad enough when we were in high school; the three of them in a room drunk would damn near cause the apocalypse. Tanya and Jessica hated Bella all through high school - Tanya because Bella was head cheerleader, and Jessica because she could never be as popular as Isa was.

"I'm coming," I groan. " Don't call Charlie." I knew from my visit at breakfast this morning that Charlie was already annoyed with Bella's behavior and would probably blow a gasket if she got into more trouble. "Please tell me that Rosalie isn't there."

Rosalie and Bella used to be friends until Bella decided that neither one of us was good enough to hang out with her anymore. That, coupled with the beating I received from Jacob and his cronies meant that Rose has never forgiven her.

"No, Rose isn't here, but I should probably tell you that she's the real estate agent that Bella has an appointment with tomorrow."

This is not good. My older sister hates Bella. If I thought Bella, Jessica and Tanya drunk in a bar was bad, Bella and my sister spending the day together looking at houses just might be the end of the world as we know it.

I tear at my hair in frustration. This is the very thing that I promised myself I wouldn't do. I swore that I was not going to get involved. If I had any sense at all, I would tell Emmett that none of this is my problem - he should call Charlie and leave me alone.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I look at the mess on my kitchen floor and shake my head. I can't worry about my sister right now. "I'll be there in 5. Please don't let Bella kill or maim anyone. I really don't want to visit the Forks police station tonight."

Apparently, I don't have any sense.

As soon as I walk through the door I spot Bella at the bar with a full drink in hand and some cheesy fries in front of her. Tanya and Jessica are seated only a couple of stools away. I take a breath and walk over to the bar.

"Bella?"

She turns around to face me and all I see is the blinding smile she gives me before setting down her drink and jumping into my arms.

"Eddie!" she squeals. I can't help but to catch her and enjoy the way her body fits around mine, as well as the smell of her perfume - the same perfume Isa wore when we were friends in high school.

"I hope Bella's daughter doesn't become a whore like her." I feel Bella stiffen at the words Jessica spits at her.

"What did you say about my daughter?" Bella drunkenly pushes out of my arms and faces Jessica and Tanya.

"I think what she said is, that she hopes your daughter doesn't become the town whore like her mother," Tanya mocks. "Although I would add that I hope she doesn't become a laughing stock either. Look at you - hanging all over Edward only a few weeks after Jacob Black left you on national TV. The whole town saw that freakshow and_ everyone _is laughing at you. "

"Tanya, Jessica. I am asking you to back off." I warn them because Bella is turning red and her hands are clenched into fists.

Completely ignoring me, Tanya walks over to Isa and points a finger at her. "You are a failure, Isabella Swan. In every way that counts, you have failed - your mother, Jacob, your father, and even your daughter. What sort of mother sits alone in a bar getting drunk? You are a disgrace."

Her cruel words have hit their intended mark and Bella visibly flinches.

"Tanya. . ." I start but Bella cuts me off.

"No, Edward. She's right. I did fail. I failed a lot of people, but you know what? " Bella turns back to Tanya. " I tried and that's more then you can say! I have an education and I have a wonderful daughter! All you have is the same stupid job in the same stupid hair salon you worked at in high school, sweeping up the same stupid hair and answering the same stupid phones because you never tried to do anything else!"

I was am so focused on Bella's speech that I stop paying attention to her movements. No one is more surprised than me - except maybe Tanya - when Bella grabs her cheese fries and dumps them on Tanya's head.

"Alrighty then, time to go. Come on Bella." I grab her arm and start pulling her toward the exit as Tanya starts screaming obscenities and Jessica rushes over to help her get the gooey cheese out of her hair.

"You stupid bitch! Don't you ever let any comment about my daughter cross your lips again!" Bella yells as I finally drag her out of the door.

**This chapter would not be what it is without Astro2009. I had such a tough time with this chapter and she truly made this chapter awesome. **

**Please review!**


	8. Bruises- Train

The image of Tanya's hair dripping with cheese and fries makes us burst into hysterics as soon as Bella's eyes meet mine inside of my car. We're both gasping for air but neither one of us can control ourselves. Every time we stop, we take one look at each other and the laughter starts all over.

The drive back to Charlie's place is short and soon I'm parked outside of the house. Our laughter has quieted and we're both silent. It's strange being in a car with Bella and having absolutely nothing to say. When we were kids, we would talk for hours about silly things and now… dead silence.

"Why can't we be friends again?" Bella blurts out, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Are you sober enough to walk in by yourself?" I ask, as my eyes focus on anything but Bella's face.

"Edward... Why?" I can feel her eyes on me but I can't let myself look at her.I've already broken my 'Don't get close rule' too many times tonight. I can't afford to do it again.

I speak without looking at her. "We were friends for almost 6 years. I thought you were my best friend until I woke up one day and you had just...stopped. It was like I didn't exist and you wouldn't even tell my why."

My voice turns bitter. "Oh...and then there's the small matter of Jacob and his friends breaking my leg."

The tension in the silent car could be cut by a only sounds are our shallow breaths and the beating of my heart in my ears as the hurt I felt as a teenager reemerges after all these years.

"It was the admissions letter." Bella speaks so quietly I don't know if I hear her correctly.

I turn to face her, not expecting there to be so little space between her face and mine. I can smell the woody scent of tequila on her breath as she breathes out. "What are you talking about?"

Bella turns away from me and opens the car door. "I'm just going to go now."

I grab her arm to stop her from leaving. "Stop running away from me, Bella."

"I could say the same thing to you." She wrenches her arm out of my grip and drunkenly stumbles her way into the house.

I bang my head on the steering wheel out of frustration. _Admissions letter?_ _What admissions letter? _ I'm trying to figure it out but the only thing that I can think of is the Dartmouth early admission acceptance letter, but that makes no sense. Why would that make her stop talking to me and order Jacob to fight me?

Tomorrow morning. I'm going to get answers. I need to know what happened.

/HF/

Waking up the next morning, I almost reconsider walking across the street and asking Bella to explain herself. However, curiosity trumps self-preservation and at noon I'm knocking on her door.

"Bell-" I start when the door opens but stop as soon as I realize that the woman opening the door isn't Bella.

"Nope, wrong girl. I'm Alice and you are...?" This woman's tone and stance scream 'don't mess with me' even though she's only about 5 feet tall with short spiky hair.

"I'm Edward. Is Bella here?" I see a shadow of recognition flit across her face and guess that Bella must have mentioned me to her because I have no idea who she is.

"You're Edward? Wow. I've heard a lot about you," she says as she looks me up and down. "Hmmm. You're cute."

"Can I talk to Bella?" I ask her impatiently, knowing that Bella's appointment with Rosalie is at 1 o'clock.

"Sure." She shrugs her shoulders, unaffected by my abruptness and lets me inside of the house.

"Thanks."

"Hey Bella," Alice calls out. "Edward's here."

"I'm in the dining room," Bella calls back.

"I'll just leave you two alone," Alice says to me and walks out of the front door.

I walk into the dining room and take the seat at the table directly across from Bella.

"Last night when you were getting out of my car, you said the reason you stopped being friends with me was because of the admissions letter. I need you to explain." I speak hurriedly and without preamble.

She nods, as if expecting my question. "Your early admissions letter to Dartmouth. You came over to my house so fucking excited about it, and I wanted to be happy for you. I tried to be happy for you but all I could think about was that I was going to watch another person I love walk away from me."

"I don't understand. Why didn't you just talk to me about it?"

Bella's eyes look down to where her finger is tracing the rim of her coffee mug. She can't even look at me when she says,"I didn't ask you to stay because I didn't want to hear your answer."

She glances at me, and then darts her brown eyes away just as quickly. "Just hearing the excitement in your voice and seeing the glint in your eyes when you were telling me about your acceptance made the possibilities real. You hadn't even decided yet but even the possibility of your leaving tore my heart to pieces and I knew that I couldn't actually watch you go."

She sighs and shrugs her shoulders. "I had to let you go because I couldn't handle another rejection."

"You didn't listen to me when I came to tell you about the letter." I shake my head, finally understanding what happened between us all those years ago. "I never planned on actually taking the early admission. I was so excited because it meant that I was guaranteed admission to my number one choice after senior year."

"Why does this even matter? It didn't matter then and it doesn't matter now. I knew you were going to leave and you proved me right. You still left."

"All you had to do was talk to me!" My voice is louder now. I can't believe what she has told me; instead of talking to me, she decided to sever ties with me and have her boyfriend beat me up.

"I need you to lower your voice. Izzy is upstairs napping and I will not have you waking her up," she hisses to me in rebuke.

"Fine." I lower my voice and gesture for her to continue.

"I know it seems ridiculous to you and I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you, but cut me some slack, please. I was young and I was trying to protect myself the best way I knew how."

"You had Jacob beat me up and you want _me_ to cut _you_ some slack?" I say incredulously.

"Wait! What are you talking about? I didn't ask Jacob to do anything to you!" She shakes her head in denial, her voice sounding genuinely surprised. "In fact, I asked him if he was involved and he vehemently denied having anything to do with it."

"Jacob told me that the beating was from you. That's why I ended up taking the early admissions - because I thought you were involved."

"No! I didn't know anything about it. I can't believe you would think I would do something like that!" Bella's voice is laced with hurt.

"What was I supposed to think?" I ask her, out of frustration. "You stopped talking to me, and then Jacob and his friends are hitting me saying that you told them to."

"Edward," Her brown eyes hold my gaze and assure me that she is telling the truth. "I would never do something like that to you."

"Then why would he do it?" I ask myself, aloud.

I thought that whenever Bella finally told me her reasons for abandoning me, everything would just make sense and I could close that chapter of my life for good, but now that I'm finally getting the answers I wanted, I'm even more confused.

**Thanks for reading and please review. **

**Thanks to Astro2009 for being an awesome Beta!**


	9. Sick Cycle Carousel- Lifehouse

"Edward-"

"Bella-"

We both speak at the same time and, like the gentleman he's always been, Edward allows me to speak first.

"Edward," I take a deep breath and lift my eyes away from the table to hold his gaze. "I'm so sorry." His eyes never leave mine but one of his hands goes to his hair and he roughly pulls at it in what I think is frustration, or maybe even anger. " I can't say those words to you enough, and even though I know I don't deserve your friendship, I'm begging you for it. I want us to start over with a clean slate."

I'm nervously biting my bottom lip as I await his response; as the silence grows more pronounced, I start to ramble. "You don't have to forgive me. I've put you in a horrible position. I totally understand if you just want to keep it professional. I can do that, I think. Well, I'll work on doing that. I-"

I stop talking because Edward pushes back his chair. He starts walking away from the table and toward the exit. I open my mouth to speak, but just as quickly close it. What can I really say to him that I haven't already said? I vow to let him leave without any interference from me and even though I can't stop the traitorous tears from falling down my face, I mean it.

"Bella..." He says my name softly from behind me. I can't watch him leave without falling apart so I refuse to turn around.

"I'll see you on Monday," I say softly, with my eyes firmly on the table in front of me.

"Bella," he says again, this time with a little more force. "Please, look at me."

I wipe my eyes quickly with my hands and turn around slowly.

"I'm not saying no." I slowly let out the shaky breath I didn't realize I was holding in as Edward continues to speak. "I'm saying I need some time. I need to process everything that you've told me. I want a new start too, but in order to do that I need to lay the past to rest." His eyes plead for me to understand as he reiterates, "I just need time, Bella."

I nod my head in agreement, unable to speak.

"I'll see you Monday." He leaves, only to come back in a moment later with a smirk on his lips and a twinkle in his eye. "Oh, I forgot to tell you - Rosalie is your real estate agent."

My mouth pops open in surprise because that's just my luck. Why can't I just lay low for one day? "Okay, so your sister is my real estate agent. That's just great," I say, with as much sarcasm as I can muster. "Does she still hate me? Of course she still hates me. Why wouldn't she, knowing now what she thinks I did to you?" I can do this. I just have to apologize and hope she can forgive me. My stomach feels as if it is made up of knots and the coffee that I have just finished feels like concrete.

As if he is reading my mind, Edward says, "You'll be fine," and then walks right out of the front door.

I hit my head on the table out of frustration. "Son of a bitch!" I mutter and then clamp a hand over my mouth when I hear a giggle coming from the doorway. _Please be Alice. Please be Alice, _I silently beg as I turn around but see none other than Izzy standing in the doorway and laughing at my frustration.

"Mommy, what's a bitch?" she asks me, with her brown eyes widened in innocence.

"That word is for someone… who -" I struggle to come up with a kid-friendly definition as I roll my eyes internally - only I would teach my child how to curse like a sailor. "- isn't being very nice." My words come out in a rush and then I pause. "Only adults are allowed to say that word, so I better not hear you use it."

"But you said it," she counters.

"I'm an adult, Isobel," I remind her.

"That's not what Daddy says," she sings in a false sense of triumph. "When I talked to him on the phone, he said that _you_ were being a child."

I want to smack Jacob but instead, I take a breath and take my frustrations out on the table by hitting it for emphasis. "What did _I _say, Isobel?" I'm so angry at Jacob for trash-talking me to my child because the things he's said to her have undermined my authority. She looks properly abashed but still hasn't answered my question. "Answer me, Isobel Rachel Black."

"Don't say it," she mumbles. I fight against the urge to make her repeat herself because I don't have the time. I have ten minutes to get to the first house and meet with Rosalie.

"Hurry up and go put on your shoes and coat," I say as calmly as I can. I make a mental note to call Jacob and give him a piece of my mind before asking him about what happened with Edward.

Finally, I get Izzy into the car and we make it to the first house. Considering how slow Izzy was moving because of her sulking, it was a miracle we were only five minutes late. I quickly jump out of the car with Izzy in tow and knock on the door of the beautiful ranch style house in front of us.

The door opens and I know instantly that this is definitely Rosalie Cullen. She is just as stunning now in a smart pencil skirt and blouse as she was back in high school wearing a cheerleading uniform. Her long blond hair is clipped back and her ice blue eyes are glaring at me.

"Isabella Swan," she sneers. "How nice of you to remember your 'small town roots' now that your famous quarterback has decided to leave you."

Seriously, is anyone ever going to let that go? Is that all the ammunition they have to use against me? I am just about to respond when my daughter makes herself known.

"You're a bitch, " Izzy says, as if she is just stating a fact. Rosalie looks down in surprise, clearly just noticing Izzy by my side.

"Rosalie, I am so sorry, if you could just excuse us for a moment."I hold out my hand for Izzy's and give her my best "Mom face". She quickly takes my hand because she knows it's in her best interest and we walk the few feet back to the car as Rosalie looks on in shock.

"You cannot call people names like that, Isobel! We just had this conversation back at Grandpa's house-"

"She was being mean!" She defends herself stubbornly.

"Listen baby," I sigh and kneel down to my daughter's level. " Everyone won't always be nice to you." I feel like a monster, ripping away my daughter's naivete and exposing her to the big bad world, where not everyone will love her. "There will be times when people will be mean and you have to accept that. You can't lash out at them or call them names, because in the end, all that does is show them that you are no better than they are. You have to be the bigger person," I tell her. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"But Mom-"

I cut her off with a glare. "No buts, Isobel. Do you understand me?"

"Yes." She pouts ineffectively.

"Good. No TV for a week and you are going to apologize to Ms. Rosalie." I turn around without giving her the chance to answer and walk back to the front door where Rosalie is waiting.

"Now, Izzy," I call to her when she doesn't move away from the car.

"Rosalie, this is my daughter Isobel and she has something she would like to say to you." I direct my attention to Izzy. "Right?"

"I'm sorry for what I said to you, Ms. Rosalie, and it won't happen again," she says with her head bowed, and in that moment, I vow to set a better example for Izzy and not respond to the petty remarks people throw at me.

"It's okay, Isobel. I'm sorry too." Rosalie bends down so that she is eye level to Izzy. "Can we start over? I'd like to be friends." Rosalie holds out her hand for Izzy to shake and after some deliberation, Izzy enthusiastically shakes her hand.

"I like your nails, Ms. Rosalie. Blue is my favorite color." I stand in utter disbelief because my little snake charmer has just enchanted Rosalie Cullen.

Rosalie is crouched down and talks to Izzy with just a hint of adoration in her voice. "Well Isobel, since we're friends now, you can call me Rose, and I have an extra bottle of this nail polish, and if your mommy says it's okay, I'll give it to you."

"Is it okay, Mommy?"

I nod my head in agreement. "Now, let's go check out the house," I say to them both. Rosalie nods and lets Izzy in the door first but stops me before I can go in.

"I'm sorry. I didn't notice Isobel standing there."

I bite back my retort and instead decide to take the high road. "It's fine. I owe you an apology as well. She doesn't normally go around cursing at strangers," I say as we step into the house.

"She's a good kid, Bella."

I blink my eyes in surprise. Are we having a moment?

"Yeah, she is." We both watch her roam around the house. "She has Jake's charisma." I smile because Izzy truly does represent the best parts of me and Jacob. No matter what has happened between us, I can never regret our relationship because I got Izzy out of it, and she is definitely worth the heartache.

"Let's hope that's all she inherited from Jacob," Rosalie says bitterly.

"Rosalie, I know that you're angry with me because of what you think I did all those years ago." As I stand here and prepare to tell Rosalie my side of the story, a wave of anxiety hits me and I can't help but to play with my hands. She isn't looking at me but I can tell she's listening by the way her head tilts toward me just a little. It's a mannerism of hers that I learned when we were friends. "Please believe me when I say that I would never tell anyone to hurt Edward."

"I knew that already," she says angrily and turns to face me. "I never thought that you told Jacob to kick Edward's ass and I don't think, deep down, that Edward ever really believed it either. I knew that you were better than that. I'm angry because one day, out of nowhere, you just started ignoring us. You never gave a reason and even though I eventually got over losing you, Edward never has. You hurt my brother to his core and didn't even have the decency to explain to him why." Rosalie's blue eyes are cold and hard when she looks at me and I see her straighten her back so that she is towering over me. The glimmer of friendliness I saw earlier is gone, replaced with anger and hostility born from her love for her brother. "Save your excuses and apologies for Edward because I don't care to hear them."

I listen to the clacking of her heels as she walks away and calls to Izzy. " Come on, Isobel. Let's go see the pool."

Well. That was an epic fail.

**Thanks so much to my Beta Astro2009. This chapter probably would have sucked without her. Don't forget to leave me a review! **


	10. We're Gonna Be Friends-The White Stripes

Edward POV

"Hey, Eddie!"

"I'm sorry. No one by that name lives here." I smile, knowing that it's Emmett on the line.

"Edward!" he whines. "I've been calling you Eddie for years, I don't like change."

"And I've told you for years that I hate that nickname. What do you want anyway, Em?" I have too much on my plate with Bella and work to add Emmett into that mix.

"Is that anyway to talk to your favorite brother-in-law?" Emmett says happily, completely unaffected by my attitude.

"You're my only brother-in-law," I respond, entertained despite my bad mood.

"And that's why I'm the favorite."

"Why exactly did you call me again?"

"Oh, yeah. I called because I have the skinny on what went down with Rosalie and Bella. If you ask me really nicely, I might tell you what happened."

Damn it. I really want to know what happened but I don't want to beg Emmett for the information. He'll never let me live it down, so I'm just going to play it cool.

"That's really interesting, Em, but I have things to do so I'll call you back later." _Come on Em, take the bait. You know you want to._

"Wait!" he bellows in my ear. "Fine. I'm dying to tell you, so I'll forgo your begging." I settle onto the chair and get comfortable. Emmett loves to gossip like an old woman, and for once, I'm happy to hear what he has to say.

"Bella told Rose that she didn't have you beat up by Jacob, and Rose basically told her to shove it because she knew that already. Oh, and Bella's daughter called Rose a bitch and Bella brought the house."

I laugh because I don't think Emmett took a single breath while telling me his version of what happened and because I don't think Emmett has his facts straight.

"I don't think so, Em. Are you sure you heard Rose right? Izzy cursing at anyone is just unbelievable. She's way too sweet for that."

"I'm telling you, man, Izzy cursed at Rose!"

"But why?"

Emmett pauses before speaking, and I can tell that whatever Rose did to Bella was enough to make Izzy angry enough to curse.

"Rose insulted Bella- something about remembering her roots. I don't actually remember that part." I can practically hear Emmett shrugging over the phone.

"What else did Rose say?"

"Well," he thinks for a moment. "Rose did call Bella a good mom."

"Seriously?" I start to laugh because that's not like Rose at all. She holds grudges forever and it's like pulling teeth to get any kind of compliment from her.

I know." He laughs with me. "I was surprised to hear that she said that."

"Do you think that they could go back to being friends?" I ask him thoughtfully.

"Izzy might just be the key to that. Rose really likes the kid. I can't wait to meet the brave little girl that called my Rosie a bitch and got away with it. She must really be something."

"She is," I confirm, thinking about the little girl that seems to be capturing the hearts of everyone in town.

"What about you? Are you and Bella_ friends_ now?" The amount of sarcasm dripping from the word 'friends' makes me laugh.

"I think so. Or at least I hope so. We've pretty much cleared the air, so…" I shrug, forgetting that he can't see me. "I'm thinking that maybe I'll invite her to a drink at your bar. So we can do something that doesn't involve rehashing the past."

"Mmmhmmm. When are you going to tell her that you love her?"Emmett would probably get a kick out of the fact that my face is probably red as a tomato and I'm pretty sure my mouth hangs open for at least five seconds out of surprise.

"Where is this coming from?" I ask him, when I finally snap my mouth shut.

"Come on, Eddie. You can lie to yourself but you can't lie to me. You've been in love with Bella ever since high school. Any idiot with two eyes can see that; I did and so did Rose. Hell, I'm pretty sure Jacob did too. You have to tell her." He presses on even though I am clearly not going to answer him. "Fine, ignore me, but you're going to kick yourself later on when you realize that your feelings aren't one-sided. Why else would Bella go through the trouble of apologizing and explaining her craziness to you? She cares, man. Think about it."

"Goodbye, Emmett." I hang up, despite Emmett's voice calling my name over the phone, because I don't want to hear his theories. Of course I loved Bella in high school; we were best friends for years. I don't know what he thinks he saw but I'm not in love with Bella.

_Then why do you care so much about her now? _My inner voice questions me and to that, I have no answer.

/HF/

_I was never popular in school but always sat on the fringe thanks to Isa, but now, it feels like I'm a social outcast. My fellow nerds will barely even talk to me. That doesn't hurt as much as Isa ignoring me for the past month for no reason that I can tell. One minute I'm sharing my news about Dartmouth and she's celebrating with me and the next she's avoiding me and spending all of her time with Jacob; I think they might actually be a couple. I don't understand what she sees in him- he can be pretty cruel to anyone who isn't popular. I'm sure he doesn't show her that side because the Isa I know would never be with someone like that. _

"_Edward, no. Leave the bitch alone. She doesn't want to talk to us." Rosalie grabs my shoulder to stop me from walking over to the tree where Isa is reading alone. "Let's just go." _

"_This is my chance, Rose! She's finally alone. I just want to know what happened. It won't take long. Besides you know I have a tutoring session in fifteen minutes. I'll meet you behind the gym at 5:30." I don't give my sister a chance to answer, instead just pulling out of her grip and walking away._

"_Isa?" I tap her on the shoulder when she doesn't look up from her book. _

"_Edward," she says coldly. _

"_What's going on? Why won't you talk to me and Rose?" She stands up quickly, completely ignoring the fact that I just spoke. _

"_I can't talk right now," she says and turns to walk away. _

"_I thought you were my friend...my best friend." She stops and turns around to face me. Her eyes aren't cold anymore and I can tell she's about to cry. _

"_Edward, I-" Whatever Isa is about to say is interrupted by Jacob. _

"_Hey, babe. We're late. Let's go." He gives me a hard glare and tugs her hand. _

"_Isa, please," I beg. For a moment, it looks like she's going to stay and talk to me, but then she shakes her head, turns around and allows Jacob to pull her away. _

_I'm glued to where I stand, trying to figure out what just happened when I remember that I have a tutoring session. _

_After I finish tutoring Tyler Crowley, I leave the school building and walk to the parking lot behind the gym to wait for Rose to pick me up. Looking at my watch, I realize that I am early, and decide to wait for her inside the school library. _

"_Cullen!" I turn around at the sound of my name and someone punches me in the face. I stumble, more out of shock than pain and look up to see Jacob and a group of five or maybe six football players. I don't have time to register anything else because suddenly there are fists hitting me everywhere. A hard punch to my gut makes me crumple and fall to the ground. The punching never stops but now I'm being kicked too. Blood is dripping from a cut above my eye__and blurring my vision but when I finally don't feel any more kicks or punches, I think they're through. I wipe the blood from my eyes and look up just in time to see Jacob's foot come down hard on my leg. I scream out as searing pain shoots through my limb and just before I black out, I hear: _

"_That's from Bella. Don't fucking talk to her again." _

I wake up drenched in sweat and fumble to turn on the lamp on my nightstand. When I finally turn it on, I feel for my leg because it feels almost as if it was actually broken memories of that day and the weeks after won't leave me alone.

Rosalie was the one who found me in the parking lot that afternoon. She called an ambulance and I ended up with a few bruised ribs, stitches for the cut above my eyes and a cast on my leg. My parents made an arrangement with the principal so that I didn't have to go to school and at the end of the year, I received my diploma and left for Dartmouth.

I told everyone that I never saw my attackers; only Rose knew the truth, and I swore her to absolute secrecy. She was the one who convinced me to take the early admissions. If I hadn't gone, she'd threatened to turn in Jacob, his cronies… and Bella too. Rose wasn't convinced that they wouldn't come after me again, especially since I refused to tell anyone what really happened.

I had never even really considered taking the early admissions, but when I did, everything seemed to fall into place. There was nothing left in Forks High School for me anymore; Bella had betrayed me and Rosalie was leaving for UDub in the fall as well. I agreed to Rose's terms in exchange for her silence.

As the sun begins to rise on a new day and a new school year, I shake of the fog that surrounds me after my dream. I have work to do and it's time to leave the past in the past and focus on the here and now.

**To anyone who read the spoiler on The Fictionators website: I'm sorry, you guys got the spoiler for next chapter. Thanks to Astro2009 for betaing this chapter and helping me get back on track when I get lost. Also Thanks to LaPumuckl for being the 100th reviewer for this story! **


End file.
